Peter Cetera on InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse

as an original member of the pop supergroup Chicago he topped the charts with such classics as if you leave me now baby would a big surprise hard to say I'm sorry and you're the inspiration success as a solo artist soon followed with hits like glory of love next time I fall after all and restless heart to name just a few hello i'm ernie manouse coming up on interviews our conversation with chart-topping singer-songwriter and producer Peter Cetera what makes a melody memorable music I don't know I'm I have no idea what makes one memorable I just know you have to do it more than once it's hard to make it unforgettable you know I get into this conversation a lot with people that are you know coming up or you know want to write a song and what that did I've been on to me the melody is the song the melody is the thing that makes a song unforgettable more so than the words or you know more so than the music you know it's the melody that's the thing that people I mean I could I'm a big Beatles fan you know yeah and more than a fan and a stalker no I'm a Beatle fan and and and yet you know there's many songs that I would flub up on the words even to this day on but you know that melody you know yeah memorable I don't know I don't know and you're writing it though and I want to go to the Beatles oh good I'll sing right now just ask it true first time you met Paul McCartney you forgot your name yeah I was shocked he was uh they were doing wings over America to her yeah and we were invited to the after party we went to see that and it was at the Herald Lord estate fabulous estate in the in Southern California and as I pulled up we got out of the car to go into this this party was so big John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd we're doing the Bruce brothers parties and as we get out of the limo to go to the party they open the door and out stumbling out of the bushes comes Paul and Linda what they were doing in the bushes stays in the bush uh and as oh hi Paul um because I know Peter Cetera come on in though you know and yeah I was flabbergasted they're there they're my idols musical idols moments like that still affect you in somebody like a Paul McCartney knows who you are yeah of course oh yeah big time you never get to the point where you assume you know I stopped assuming a long time ago you know one would like to think I'm so famous I never think that I think just the opposite to a fault but I mean I learned my lesson right in the in the height of Chicago success you know and walking down the street and uh excuse me somebody stopped me for my autograph excuse me would you sign this and that well of course and I signed it and hand it to them and they were as they walked away and say who so obviously I thought I was somebody else somebody else yeah so I never take that for granted to this day no I no no always wanted to do this um no I don't know I wanted to be a football player baseball player like every other kid yeah and somewhere along the line you know listening to listen to the radio oh you know when you Wow I love that kind of music you know and you start singing and and then I you know I wanted to buy a guitar my parents know you cannot ever get to her you got a record Ian that's why I think I was the last kid in Chicago to actually play accordion distel and I know I pick it up and it's kind of play somebody will poke us with that is there a great accordion song out there that one day you can write you know what again you know I when I played accordion I really I'm half polish and there was nothing to this day there's nothing quite as exciting as a Polish wedding with a great polka band it was just to this day I mean when we know when I was a kid watching my father my father was an incredible polish hop dancer I mean it is you know my mother would just sit down on it all the other ladies dancing my dad gets here but there was something about that life poke event yeah and yeah that got me enthused and into music and then when I started playing and and started realizing that with the few guitars you know cords that I knew from the Sears when I was a sophomore in high school uh in between the sports things and battle a title DA we would you know have these we would always go to the Indiana Dunes being from Chicago that's where we went and uh and I started to notice that while the other guys were getting drunken throwing up on the beach I was over here playing my few little songs and all the girls were around me and I think that's so it sort of goes out yeah okay I get it yeah emotionally what does it feel like to be playing do you channel how you feel into the instrument and how exactly does that happen on an inanimate object well I mean I I don't play as as much as I used to and being being a bass player anyhow you know you channel as much emotion into it into the into the groove into the feeling into the of the song you know and yeah I mean I always played with emotion you know to me that's the that's the thing you know I just can never stand and play like that or sing like that you know you need to passion passion I think and I mean I think that's what ultimately I do with writing and what what I've done with the songs over the years that I write and even the ones I don't write that I sing always try and sing them with emotion I want to feel what I'm singing you know I just can't you know like a little bit you know I needed fish you know when you're writing do you use an instrument do you can you just think it through how do you know you need a guitar to have chords or piano or somebody with me I really like writing with other people especially you know piano or guitar players that are really so that I can sit back and you know just melody to me is like ever saying before that's I was talking I have a 25 year old daughter and 11 year old daughter but my 25 year old daughter Claire's in you knows in the music and I always always try to explain with her to her about singing which she gets I think you know she's starting to really get that and writing you know she hasn't really we sort of sat down and you know but you know because of the generation you know musical generation separating you know she likes certain things and she thinks that we don't touch and even though you do musically there's a and she just called me up the other day and she said god I just wrote the first thing I really ever like with this guy you know with this song and she played me the song and it was it that was really awesome it was a and I could just hear in her voice I said I think you finally got it you know because there's that magic of when you write a song nothing better there's nothing better than that oh my good I like this you know there's nothing better the recording process or the playing or the you know it's it's about the last thing for me on the scale of what I like the best is you know the writing of it then the recording and then the actual live performance of it you know yeah in order of what I what's the most exciting to me as a father how does it feel when you hear your daughter has created something like the work you do is there a different sense of pride is it kind of an intensified yeah you know I you know you're I don't know you probably pretty I never wanted her to go into music player sounds like my parents yeah we saw how bad that torini get something about how bad guy you know I went to IBM school cuz I was gonna fall back on that but I mean you know I she went to USC and ioss appellees you know she was raised up and Ketchum Idaho was one years old and raised and the reason was because when when when I joined the group Chicago when we moved out of Chicago to California and lived there for years and then when we disband what is banded we disbanded we broke up whatever that was then I moved up to Idaho right and that's four my oldest daughter grew up and of course with the first place she wants to go to school when she got this so Carla went to USC I was like yeah I want to come here and I thought oh great she'll have a chance to broaden her horizons and she got she got her degree and then what she wants to be a singer songwriter and uh you know I mean I I and you know I tried to give her just what am I going to tell my daughter want because it's I'm not really connected to whatever the industry is out there anymore yeah but you know I just said you know make sure you you know whatever you do make sure you love it and have fun doing it you know and uh and to hear her finally she got it this this time and she is she can't even sleep you know is so excited so yeah it's it's awesome for me to see that you know I take it back to playing clubs here this way back in the beginning there if I understand the story correctly you went your band was opening for your another band was opening for your band and you liked that opening band when to listen to them got involved with them and that eventually became Chicago we I was just talking about this with her with the fellow last night that that played years ago with O Ramsey Lewis who was and he worked in Chicago so he knew all the all the same clubs that we used to talk about and having talked to you and you went to Loyola in Chicago and I told you that I went to Quigley for a year my mother wanted me to be a priest and how's that working for you that's uh let's see I hear confessions in about 20 minutes and so I got school as you know was right down on Rush Street quickly and thinking back to all those clubs that were there I mean I played every one of them within a matter of a couple years and this fellow was there you know playing the other clubs and uh I was in abandoned for years in Chicago called the exceptions and we were that we were the best there was we were and you know in those days I also told my daughter that back then you know we I was not I've never been out of work since I was like 17 in the conciliar there was a club on every corner and every Club at a band you know and uh we sort of you know came to the end of the line with with the exceptions we were doing our top 40 things and making it you know quite a good living for a lot of years traveling here and there a little bit and one night we hope we had a grand opening of a club and we found out that they hired two bands us and then these upcoming guys called the big thing and so well you know I I had heard them play and they had horns you know I thought oh nice you know because they were doing the magical mystery tour and stuff like that not just all this not just the soul stuff you know and it just so happened that I was leaving about to try and get out of this group that I had been in and they were looking for an additional singer and bass player and boom boom that's how we sort of together and it'll make sense in a minute what mass curious but any fear leaving the more successful group to go into this less known group or at that point don't you think of those at that point I didn't care what we were I was making about as good as living as you can make plan on a group at that time we you know we were always working always always there was always the next club work waiting for us and so we always worked and it just got to be when I heard this other group that turned out to be Chicago they were doing different songs that we didn't do they were doing the top 40 they were doing the choice picks in and I thought no I didn't care at that point I was ready for a change and and I just went with it you know we had a talk one night after one of after one of the nights hey well I'll talk to you about something okay you would think about coming on to these guys and I said funny used to say that it wasn't always like that this literally one group right to this okay fast forward yeah 25 or so years now you're going to leave Chicago go off on your own any worry their concern or time yeah I mean i i i was just talking with somebody about this i didn't really leave Chicago they sort of forced me sort of forced my and at that point it's either you know you got to sign this contract or we're going to have to look for somebody else I'm what I just wanted to do a solo album like a lot of guys who were in groups do a solo album than you do group with the and they didn't want me to do that I don't know why you know they probably knew the inevitable would happen and it didn't and so they kind of forced me out and they said well if you don't sign this contract we're gonna look for another bass player thinking I'd go oh geez I'm sorry you know and I thought about it for about 10 minutes and I went he would have looked for another bass player what you know Wow hung up the phone and I was just like cuz here I was in LA and my gosh what what I gonna do now I did I had no idea yeah so it was that was nerve-racking that was like cuz you know you went from a thing that was we were very successful and then we went downhill and then I kind of brought us back up again and and now it was wow very scary how long before you need made the right choice you know right when I hung up the phone because I yeah we were you know that was we it sort of been brewing for a long time I mean the group was not destined to remain together tariqat before he he died wanted ah he wanted out before anybody and then Bobby lamb wanted out you know I know it was just I was just third in line to one out you know Terry kept got out a different way you know by a by an accident and Bobby lamb stayed in and and they sort of managed to run me out emotionally and them so I think right at that point it was like okay I know this is scary but I think it's something I have to do did I break the right choice well yeah I mean I quess yeah Oh what has my career been as successful as I hope no but it's but it's been my fault you know I you say that and it's funny you think Peter Cetera and you think the name and the success and I don't know that most people initially when you say it realize how many hits you've had no and then how long a spam these / it's a career but that's kind of one of the things I do when I do the show is I read you not listen you know I hear my song it's not you know like I say to people on the show you know look so okay I hear my sons in the supermarket - no on the elevators it doesn't bother me I love it you know and I think that puts people okay you know cuz I don't I do love it you know - I wish I had a this mega mega big crew yeah I I think what the way I've done it is the way I was meant to do it you know I'm not I don't really crave that big you know yes I wish I could have sat home and written and recorded and had number mega hits with these wonderful songs continuing in the line but there came to be a certain point when you know when I really didn't record as much or whatever but now I never regretted it that's Plex I think you judge yourself harsher than what we all would well no I think it's reality you know I mean it's it's true because you just said it people I can see in the show and that's something else I tell people as it's tonight I'm going to show you a song that you've always known a bunch of songs we've always known the name in my face you're gonna put those all together because I know that some of you that hey oh there's that voice you know there there's like oh there's the same oh you're the guy that oh that your name was and you were with and they can put it all together and it's the way it is you know when you talk about the voice another story I heard correct me if I'm wrong broken jaw at Dodger Stadium and you went on tour singing through the well I mean it took I was in intensive care for a while getting wired back together yeah and then there came you know I was a warmer like this when I had these tooth there's a little hole right in a routine these two teeth and I start talking like that no because and you know there came to be a point when we had commitments you know yeah and so but within a matter of time right I got two months and then boom we're on the road and I was singing and playing like this and trying to sing backgrounds with my jaw wired shut yeah now back to what we were just talking about you're talking about choices that you make and you didn't live the Hollywood lifestyle that you went raised your kids took that path so was that a conscious choice to let's do a you mean and Blair life you mean once the split from Chicago happened yeah no that was a conscious choice Anna and I did Lee lived the Hollywood lifestyle before like we all did out there you know is lived in Hollywood you know and that's what you did up there you live the Hollywood lifestyle you know yeah back here Karl you know yeah closing you sometimes you dress goofy and look weird and did stupid things that you embarrassed about nobody ever told me not to so I did we did whatever we wanted to you know like everybody else did and that probably continues to do and you know now at that point - you didn't do a lot of touring if I I've read I mean with Chicago or after and right after well career down until about like 94 no I never did a lot of touring I I put the guy and I think when I can't when I when we split and I moved up to Idaho and then I I did the subsequent you know glory of love album and the next time I fall and all the other ones after Russell is right in the beginning there was no backing from a wreck from the record company that I was with because they want to meet back in Chicago you know and they told me as much you know I was talking about that this morning with my ex-brother-in-law about that you know so they didn't really promote anything so here I had two number-one songs off the off my seat off the you know the first album after you know our split and my album wasn't in the top 50 you know it was like very strange and they basically told me you know that's no we want you back in Chicago home well thank you so much you know so touring to me I didn't want to go on the road because at that point I knew that the that the tie was Chicago was so great and I wanted to do my stuff right like everybody that leaves somebody - something like that you know I'm gonna do this and uh so I thought well if and so what and back then when I you know became a soul artist the thing was when you did TV shows and I did a lot of the TV shows and stuff it was lip sync right that was a days when you know you would and nobody that's the way you did it when you do it and I don't mean interrupt what you're doing I hate it what are you thinking cuz I'm singing clips of illegal that's what I think it's embarrassing it's like you know I went to Japan because like that odd and I keep up dancing behind your knees made it than this like I don't want this you know yeah but so but I did a lot of that you know Gloria with me you know same glory of love and you know it was I I knew that if I went on the road or they play some Chicago and I just didn't want that at that point right I'm assuming - it gave a different life to your kids - it gave a more stable existence well for my daughter at the time yeah I mean you know I was home a lot and yeah and then I when I finally did put together a band and we learned you know and that was kind of a hard thing I knew that people couldn't differentiate Peter Cetera from Shapiro ceteris music songs from Chicago they just assumed that a place saturday in the park whoa I didn't write it I didn't sing it why would I play it you know so there was a bunch of those songs that they kept tying in with me that I had nothing really outside of playing bass and singing background or singing the lead on some of the other things that you know maybe Bobby wrote or whatever you know 25 or 6 to 4 you know questions 67 and 68 you know I didn't wanna have to go through that so I didn't and that didn't put me in good stead with record what you're not gonna turn you're gonna do those Chicago songs aren't ya know what you know and then when I finally decided to tour which was a couple of years down the road I put together this awesome band and we had some fun on the road for while and did some get some great tours and I couldn't keep that going so I retreated even further back up up in the Idaho and that kind of live the life I always wanted to live when I was traveling and now I guess you do something that's a lot of fun I would assume it's probably a lot of work but I bet you loved it the symphony stuff yeah and that came about I like I say I was sitting home going geez I guess my career might be over unless I can read some more I better go in there do what I want to do you know how is I going to get back under to do something you know and my good friend David Foster called me up wanting to know if I wanted to be part of this uh he was putting together the musical McDonald's Corporation was having their they have this bash every I don't know how often they have it but they had the big bash in Chicago at McCormick Place for their worldwide McDonald McDonald houses and it was a lot of big people there he wanted to know if if I would sing on that I said with David you know I really haven't done too much in him five six seven eight years here and he goes well it'll be fun and I so I begrudgingly went to LA and we worked out a little medley of the songs that we get worked on you know together and uh uh it always nerve-racking we went to Chicago and it was filmed for PBS and it was so with the symphony and the big you know the best la players and here I was back on stage it was like oh my gosh what am i doing when you when you walk out when I walk out of moments like that it's kind of sort of the same thing happens like at the Academy Award when it was time for me to go out there and sing you know the Academy award-nominated song Karate Kid you know glory of love at that moment I think oh my gosh fifty kajillion you know why do i why do they think that alright when I walk onstage and up through that through that thing PBS contacted me and said hey we saw your thing would you ever think of doing it with the for a PBS special and actually come to think of it my career has always been like this doing it backwards you know and so I said yeah I agreed to it so I did a PBS special ever having gone on the road that you know like you you take your plate right you know off-broadway before you come to Broadway so I did this PBS special with the symphony and that led to like hey we really like that show do you ever go on the road and do that and so here we are today 560 or five six years later as we run out of time that last questions about it what does it feel like to stand in front of that symphony and sing these songs sometimes it feels really good sometimes you just want to turn around and go shape up nice mostly it's awesome it really is it just it it just gives me that little thing that doesn't make me it makes me feel that it's still new and vibrant and not here we go again you know and it's so yeah it's great wouldn't wouldn't everybody like to sing in front of a symphony just once in your life well I get to do it quite a bit and it's it's a thrill well pleasure to have you thank you so much appreciate us thank you Peter Cetera to order a DVD of this or any episode of interviews please visit Houston pbs.org

Channel: HoustonPBS

Views: 441,453

Rating: 4.7947345 out of 5

Keywords: KUHT, HoustonPBS, InnerVIEWS, with, Ernie, Manouse, Peter, Cetera, singer, songwriter, musician, music, Chicago, pop, rock, jazz, Glory, of, Love, Hard, Habit, to, Break, 25, or, After, All

Id: ewAz5w5mKpk

Length: 26min 49sec (1609 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 01 2009